For many, a favorite pastime during the Halloween season is sitting down to watch some scary movies and horror films, though it can get tiring watching the same handful of slashers and thrillers that play on rotation on TV and streaming sites. This year, consider watching these underrated horror films that may just be the thing to make Oct. 31 a chilling night. Lock the door, switch off the lights, turn up the volume and enjoy.
The power of grief and a good audio recorder: “The Changeling” (1980)
Filmed in British Columbia, New York and Seattle (where the movie takes place), “The Changeling” is an effective, eerie ghost story, set in a gorgeous mansion which holds a terrible, dark secret. Following the traumatizing deaths of his wife and daughter, renowned music composer John Russell (George C. Scott) abruptly moves from New York City to Seattle where he rents an empty, opulent mansion from the local historical preservation society.
Strange things begin to happen there and before long, John sees a vision of a young boy being drowned in a tub and uncovers a hidden room in the attic. Seeking answers, John scours the city’s newspaper archives and building plans of yesterday, and as he digs deeper into the mystery of the house and the little boy, greater and greater horrors are uncovered.
A slow burn for sure, this is a great film for a good, psychological scare with the bonus of a rare snapshot of Western Washington from over 40 years ago, like the exterior of Rainier Tower, University of Washington’s Red Square and the interior of SeaTac Airport.
No matter how terrifying, I want the truth: “Noroi: The Curse” (2005)
Japanese horror has developed quite a reputation over the years, and it is well earned. While many American horror fans may know “Ringu” (or its Seattle-based remake “The Ring”), “Audition” or “Ju-On: The Grudge” (along with its American remake “The Grudge”), another 1990s-2000s era Japanese horror of note that does not get the recognition it deserves is “Noroi.”
Starring Jin Muraki as paranormal investigator and documentarian Masafumi Kobayashi, the film is presented as found-footage horror, detailing the unspeakable evil and mysterious curse that Kobayashi uncovered before his disappearance. The movie ventures through rural shrines and a sunken village, revealing dark supernatural secrets and their terrible ramifications. This one is not for the faint of heart and is not recommended for younger viewers.
You are receiving this broadcast as a dream: “Prince of Darkness” (1987)
While it’s not as well known as John Carpenter’s classic horror films like “Halloween” or “The Thing,” this second entry into the beloved director’s Apocalypse Trilogy is a worthy watch for All Hallows’ Eve.
“Prince of Darkness” not only brings together the unlikely pairing of quantum physics and Catholicism, but it also reunites some of Carpenter’s most recognizable actors from his previous work like Donald Pleasence from aforementioned Michael Myers original, along with Victor Wong and Dennis Dun from 1986’s “Big Trouble in Little China.” Rock star Alice Cooper even made his way into this one.
Pleasence plays a priest who has been tasked to examine an ancient cylinder filled with a strange vortex of green liquid, which has been hidden and guarded by a Catholic secret society for centuries. Unbeknownst to the priest and the quantum physics professor and students that have been recruited to study the cylinder, it actually houses Satan himself, who will awaken and bring about his father, the Anti-God from another realm.
Unsettling, mysterious and a unique addition to the horror genre, “Prince of Darkness” is an excellent viewing choice for spooky season.
Bewitch him, cover him with snow: “Viy” (1967)
Described as the Soviet Union’s first horror film, this incredible adaptation of the 1835 novella of the same name is a must-see, not only as a folk horror film, but also as a peek behind the country’s cinematic Iron Curtain.
A young monk named Khoma Brutus (Leonid Kuravlyov) is conscripted to pray over the body of the deceased daughter (Natalya Varley) of a wealthy sotnik for three straight nights. However, when Khoma looks upon the dead girl’s face, he recognizes her as the witch he had recently killed in a panic. Locked in a chapel from dusk to dawn, the young monk is horrified to find that the witch has re-animated and wants her revenge.
While some of the special effects may seem hokey and reveal the limitations of Soviet film productions at the time, they also unveil ingenuity and charm that add to the experience of this beautiful horror film that everyone should watch at least once.
We don’t want to give anybody sleepless nights: “Ghostwatch” (1992)
A legitimately scary and impressive feat in television filmmaking, “Ghostwatch” is a real gem of British horror that invokes comparisons to Orson Welles’ 1938 radio broadcast of “The War of the Worlds.” Like Welles’ choice of storytelling, which made listeners believe that the world was actually being invaded by aliens, “Ghostwatch” was part of a BBC anthology series that premiered on Oct. 31, 1992, and presented itself as a live program documenting a paranormal phenomenon.
Given legitimacy by the inclusion of famous real-life BBC television presenters and journalists Sir Michael Parkinson, Sarah Greene and her real-life husband Mike Smith playing themselves, the movie follows them as they investigate a creepy poltergeist (nicknamed Pipes) who has been tormenting a mother and her two daughters for months. Thirty-three years later, this is a must-watch on Halloween.
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